The OSU College of Pharmacy
Clinical Partners Program
Chatham Office Park
(Building 941)
941 Chatham Lane
Suite 311
Columbus, OH 43221
Phone – (614) 293-5075
Fax – (614) 366-6000
Hepatitis C Education Service
The Hepatitis C service was transferred to Clinical Partners in 2004. Pharmacist’s interventions have included:
- Lifestyle recommendations on diet, exercise, hydration, and social/mood changes to combat medication adverse effects
- Nonprescription product recommendations such as diphenhydramine for pruritis, analgesic agents for flu-like symptoms, and nutritional supplements for appetite suppression
- Referrals to the physician for further assessment
Beginning in April 2005, Clinical Partners began conducting a study to measure the program’s impact on medication adherence, quality of life, and the ability of patients to achieve therapeutic success measured by sustained viral response. Outcomes were assessed via a survey combining the Morisky questionnaire to assess medication adherence with the SF-12v12 TM and a validated hepatitis C disease-specific quality of life (QOL) indicator to assess changes in quality of life through treatment.
Main results of this project showed that patients expressed satisfaction with the care provided by the pharmacist and nurse practitioner individually and working collaboratively during their Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) therapy. Patients reported taking 99.8% of total interferon and ribavirin doses during the first 3 months of therapy. Patients who indicated they sometimes stopped taking medication when they felt worse had higher median aggregate physical functioning scores (p=0.04) and those with no comorbidities found dosage times more inconvenient that those with at least one comorbidity (p=0.046).
Study investigators concluded that patients in a pharmacist-run HCV education service have high self-reported adherence rates and are satisfied with the interdisciplinary model of care. QOL may be associated with adherence; higher functioning, healthier patients may be more likely to stop taking HCV medications due to side effects or inconvenience.
Medication Adherence Three Months Post-Therapy Initiationa
| Question / Statement | Responses 3 months post-therapy initiation (n=12) |
|
|---|---|---|
Do you ever forget to take your medicines? |
Yes |
5 (42%) |
Are you careless at times about taking your medicines? |
Yes |
1 (8%) |
When you feel better do you sometimes stop taking your medicines? |
Yes |
1 (8%) |
Sometimes if you feel worse when you take the medicine, do you stop taking it? |
Yes |
2 (17%) |
My medication causes side effects. |
None |
1 (8%) |
It is hard to remember the doses. |
None |
12 (100%) |
It is hard to pay for the medication. |
None |
10 (83%) |
It is hard to administer the medication. |
None |
10 (83%) |
The dosage time is inconvenient. |
None |
10 (83%) |
My medication causes other problems. |
None |
5 (42%) |
aSurvey from Morisky DE, Green LW, Levine DM. Concurrent and predictive value of a self-reported measure of medication adherence. Med Care 1986;24(1): 67-74 and Svarsted BL, Chewning BA, Sleath BL, et al. The brief medication questionnaire: a tool for screening patient adherence and barriers to adherence. Patient Educ Couns 1999;37:113-24.
Patient Satisfaction Survey Questions
Statement |
My participation in the pharmacist-run educational program helped me better understand how to take care of myself during my interferon therapy. |
The nurse practitioner at the doctor’s office helped me understand how to take care of myself during my interferon therapy better. |
I felt comfortable talking with the pharmacist about Hepatitis C. |
I felt comfortable talking with the nurse practitioner about Hepatitis C. |
I am confident that the care I received from the pharmacist and nurse practitioner at the doctor’s office working together improved my health care. |
100 percent of patients responded Strongly Agree or Agree to these statements
